Two Additional Defendants Arraigned in Connection with Drug Smuggling at Montana State Prison

MISSOULA – Rachel Leanna Ross, 25, of Collierville Tennessee, and Lauren J. Hoskins, 26, of Somerville, Tennessee, were arraigned in federal court yesterday on a six-count superseding indictment charging them with various drug distribution crimes.

Ross and Hoskins were the fourth and fifth defendants to be arraigned under the indictment.  Three other defendants were arraigned on Tuesday and an additional defendant was arraigned last month under a separate indictment.  Both Ross and Hoskins were arraigned on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

The superseding indictment is the result of an investigation into drug smuggling at the Montana State Prison.  The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspector, the Montana Department of Corrections Investigations Division, Montana State Prison Warden Leroy Kirkegard and his staff, and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigations.

An indictment is simply a charging document that initiates formal court proceedings.  Ross and Hoskins are presumed innocent of the charges in the superseding indictment unless and until they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.